Chapter 36 - Scrambling maids

Chapter 36: Chapter 36 - Scrambling maids

The next morning, Jua Gu woke up to the sight of a maid standing just outside the bedroom door, watching him with obvious suspicion.

She didn’t come inside.

None of them did anymore.

The servants simply stood near the doorway, peeking in with cautious, fearful eyes. Jua Gu had grown far too familiar with those eyes in his previous life. They were the same eyes people gave him whenever they realized he wasn’t someone they should provoke.

Jua Gu couldn’t help but smile wryly.

Guess I’m becoming a bad man again in this life too...

He rubbed the back of his head and slowly sat up. His gaze then fell on the young child sleeping beside him.

Ying Mao was still deeply asleep, his soft hair spread across the pillow and surrounding his face like a little halo. His expression was peaceful, completely different from the frightened child who had clung to Jua Gu only hours ago.

He looked almost angelic.

Somehow, in this strange world, Jua Gu had found another person he wanted to protect.

The realization made something inside his chest feel strangely warm.

He reached out and gently brushed a few strands of hair away from Ying Mao’s forehead. The boy stirred at the touch before slowly opening his eyes.

For a moment, Jua Gu froze.

Those eyes were green, but depending on the angle of the light, they seemed to turn into a strange shade of dark grey.

So familiar.

Painfully familiar.

The nostalgia that had been lurking at the edge of his mind suddenly bubbled up again, but Jua Gu quickly pushed it down.

"It’s time to wake up," he whispered.

Ying Mao rubbed his eyes with both hands and sat up sleepily.

"Can’t I just stay with you, Brother Gu?" he mumbled. "What if they bully you?"

Jua Gu stared at him.

He was still recovering from the injuries from the previous night, so there was no way he could return to school anytime soon. But that didn’t mean he could let Ying Mao stay home and abandon his education as well.

Tsk.

Jua Gu raised an eyebrow.

"You said you would protect me, didn’t you?"

"Yes!"

Ying Mao immediately became more awake.

"I will protect you. I’ll do anything to keep you safe. I’ll take care of you forever, Jua-ge."

He clung to Jua Gu’s arm with complete seriousness, as though he had already decided this was his life’s most important mission.

Jua Gu couldn’t help smiling.

"But how are you going to take care of me if you can’t even get a good education?" he asked.

Ying Mao blinked.

Jua Gu leaned closer, lowering his voice as though he were telling the boy a very important secret.

"Don’t you want to take good care of me?"

"Yes!"

"Then study hard, grow up, get rich, and take good care of me."

Ying Mao’s face immediately brightened.

"Then I’ll do that!"

He sat up straighter, suddenly full of confidence.

"I’m very smart. I’m first in my class! After I finish college, I’ll take over my family’s business. I’ll become very rich, and then I can take good care of you."

Jua Gu nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmm."

He reached over and gently ruffled the boy’s hair.

The kid was really, really cute.

I don’t need anyone to take care of me.

Jua Gu had survived far worse things than this. He had never needed someone to support him.

But hearing Ying Mao say those things still made him feel unexpectedly good.

It was nice to know that someone wanted to take care of him.

Jua Gu climbed out of bed and stretched, his arms reaching above his head.

His muscles were slightly sore, but the terrible pain that usually accompanied this body was nowhere to be felt.

He paused.

Being a cultivator really is the best.

A small smile appeared on his face.

He walked toward the window and looked outside.

The spiritual energy in this world was extremely thin, and the demonic energy was even weaker. For an ordinary cultivator, there would barely be enough energy here to make any meaningful progress.

But for Jua Gu, even this small amount was enough.

After all, in his previous life, he had become a powerful necromancer. He had learned countless strange and unconventional ways of gathering energy, including one method that most cultivators considered both useless and terrifying.

He could draw energy from the anguish lingering around the dead.

It wasn’t a particularly pleasant method of cultivation, but it was extremely effective.

And fortunately, it wasn’t complicated.

All he needed to do was stay near a grave.

Jua Gu looked out the window thoughtfully.

A cemetery would probably have enough lingering energy to replenish what he had lost.

His lips slowly curled into a smile.

Looks like I know where I’m going today.

Jua Gu gazed at the boy who was scrambling to get to the door. The moment Ying Mao stepped outside, the maids who had been lingering there took one look at him and immediately turned around and hurried away.

It was quite a sight to see.

Jua walked closer, and the maids scattered even faster, running away like a flock of frightened chickens.

He couldn’t help chuckling as he leaned against the doorframe and watched Ying Mao stare after them with a pout, clearly confused by what he had just witnessed.

"Why did they run, Jua-ge?"

"They just don’t like me, that’s all. Nothing much." Jua shrugged as if it were completely unimportant. "Now, get ready for school. You’re an independent boy, aren’t you?"

The boy nodded hurriedly. "Yes, yes! I’m very independent. I don’t need anyone to help me bathe or get dressed."

"Good. Then go ahead."

Ying Mao immediately turned around and headed off, determined to prove just how independent he was.

Jua watched him leave with an amused smile before stepping out of the room himself. He then walked toward a room he had rarely visited before.

He didn’t even need to knock.

The door opened almost immediately, revealing Ying Di standing there as stiff as a statue. His pale face was blank, the usual malicious expression completely gone. Instead, his eyes were filled with nothing but obedience and reverence as he looked at Jua.

"Master."

Jua stared at him for a moment before the corners of his lips slowly curled upward.

"My little puppet..." he said, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. "We have things to do~"